Thill-coupling



(No Model.)

E. w. DOOLITTLE & J. D. BURNS. THILL COUPLING.

N0. 431,449. Patented July 1, 1890. v

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMMET WARREN DOOLITTLE AND JAMES DANA BURNS, OF GARDEN GROVE, IOWA.

THl-LL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,449, dated July 1,1890.

Application filed February 15, 1890. Serial No. 340,578- (No model.)

To aZZ whom itmay concern:

Be it known that we,E1vrMnr WARREN Doo- LITTLE and J AMEs DANA BURNS,citizens of the United States, residing at Garden Grove,

in the countyof Decatur and State of Iowa,

which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to an improvement in shaft, thill, or polecouplings, the object of the invention being to simplify,improve, andperfect the construction of couplings of this kind, and especially toprevent the noisome rattling 'which commonly occurs with couplings ofthis character and which is so disagreeable, and also to form a new,strong, and compact connection, so that the thill or pole may be easilyconnected to or disengaged from the axle with but little inconvenienceand with no sacrifice of security and strength; and the invention tothis end consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination ofparts, substantially as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating our invention, Figure 1 is avertical sectional view of our improved thill, shaft,or pole coupling,shown as applied to a vehicle-axle and ready for use. Fig.2 is asectional plan view on the line as w of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detailperspective view of the draw-arm. Fig. 4 is a detail plan view of theguard-piece. Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of the draw yoke or plate.Fig. 6 is a detail view of a different form of spring employed in thedevice.

Like letters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout thedifferent figures of the drawings.

A denotes a portion of a vehicle-axle, in connection with which ourimproved thill-coupling is arranged. The invention isequally applicableto vehicles of all kinds, and hence the section of axle herein depictedis given by way of illustration only. Around the axle passes a clip a,provided with the usual nuts on. the screw-threaded ends thereof, saidclip being employed for the purpose of connecting securely to the axlein a horizontal position the draw yoke or plate B, which is shown indetail plan in Fig. 5 and in operative position in Fig. 1. Thisdraw-yoke consists simply ofa plate recessed at b to receive the axle,and perforated at b b to permit the passage therethrough of thescrew-threaded end of the clip, whereby the draw-yoke is firmly securedin a horizontal position to the under side of the axle. Furthermore, thedraw-yoke is provided with a slot 13, at the forward end of which is thedraw-bolt b, which forms the pivot of the coupling, said bolt beingintegral with the yoke and being nicely rounded, so as to form a neatpivot. This draw-bolt being integral with the draw-yoke, there is nopossibility of its becoming loose or detaching itself from the main bodyof the yoke, and thus stability and permanence of the device is betterattained.

In Fig. 3 we have illustrated in detail perspective what we term thedraw-arm. This is a curved orbent arm of suitable length and shape,which is preferably bolted or otherwise securely fastened to thecircle-iron of the pole or to the heel of the'shaft or thill. I11 thedrawings we have shown the draw-arm O as connected to the thill D bymeans of the bolts 0 c. WVe are restricted to no particular angle ofcurvature or pitch for this arm, as it may be fashioned in any desiredmanner, it being essentially an auxiliary piece fastened to the thill orpole and serving to connect the latter pivotally with the axle. Thedraw-arm O is adapted to have its lower end passed downward through theslot 13 in the draw-yoke, and the side of the draw-arm which lies to therear of the draw-bolt b is provided with a slot 0', of suitable size andshape to receive said bolt b, and thus the bolt serves to support thedraw-arm,which turns thereon as on a pivot. On each side of the slot 0'are two lips or guards d d, projecting toward'each other, as shown.These help to keep the drawarm from becoming disengaged from the boltand enable the slot 0 to contain the bolt constantly at all times nearlyas well as if it were a perforation instead of a slot. Furthermore,

the draw-arm is provided on its face opposite to that where the slot 0is located with two parallel vertical lips or flanges of suitable sizeand length, said flanges being lettered E E and being, perforated at e6. Through these two perforations passes the bolt pin or rivet F, aroundwhich the anti-rattler spring G" is coiled.

H designates the guard-piece. It comprises a substantially straightpiece of iron or other suitable metal made with two parallel lipssituated about midway of the length of the piece, said lips beinglettered h h and being perforated to allow the passage through them ofthe same pin or bolt F which we have seen passes through the perforatedlips on the drawarm. The guard-piece is shown in plan view in Fig. landin vertical section in Fig. 1. It, likewise with the draw-arm, isdesigned to be located within the slot 13' of the draw-yoke. When inthis location, its lips h hwill lie outside of the lips E E of thedraw-arm. The pin F, as we have seen, will pass through the lips h h andalso the lips E E. Coiled around this pin will be a spring whoseopposite ends will bear, respectively, upon the lower portion of thedraw-arm and the lower portion of the guard-piece H, said spring thusserving to force apart the draw-arm and guard-piece in the manner shownin Fig. 1. It is immaterial what kind of a spring is employed for thispurpose. Several varieties may be used. We have shown one form in Figs.1 and 2 and a different form in Fig. 6. Either one may be used or anentirely different kind devised for the purpose. It is only necessarythat a spring should be so coiled that its opposite ends or oppositeparts of it may bear upon the lower end of the draw-arm and the lowerend of the guard-piece, respectively, for the purpose of forcing themapart, the result of which will be to force the upper end of theguard-piece toward the draw-arm. In this way the guardpiece and draw-armtogether will fully occupy the slot B and the belt I) will be keptconstantly within the slot G, the spring G serving to maintain thisconstant connection between the pivotal bolt 1) and the draw-arm.Whenever it is desired to disengage the drawarm from the draw-yokethatis to say, to withdraw the pivotal bolt from the slot in which it issituated-the operator needs simply to withdraw or force away the upperend of the guard-piece from the draw-arm, the result of which will be topress together the extreme lower ends of the draw-arm and guardpiece,and when they are in this position they may be easily removed from theslot, and thus the thill-coupling disengaged. They can readily bereturned to place and the engagement made as before whenever it isdesired to do so.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a thill, shaft, or pole coupling, the combination of the slotteddraw-yoke conon the side opposite to said slot, the guard-' piece withits parallel lips, the pivoted pin passing through the lips of the guardand parallel flanges on the draw-arm, and the interposed spring coiledaround said pin, sub stantially as specified.

3. The combination of the draw-yoke connected to the axle and having thedraw-bolt integral therewith, the draw-arm connected to the thill andslotted so as to hang pivotally upon the draw-bolt, and likewise havinglips on each side of said slot, substantially as described, togetherwith the guard-piece, and

the interposed spring coiled around the guardpiece pivot for ke ping thedraw-arm in position, substantia y as described.

4:. The combination of the axle, the slotted draw-yoke having draw-bolt,the clip connecting said draw-yoke to the axle, the draw-arm slotted tohang upon the draw-bolt and having lips on each side of said slot andparallel lips or flanges on that side of the draw-arm opposite to theguard-piece, the guard-piece with its parallel lips, the pin forpivoting said guard-piece to the draw-arm, and the interposed springcoiled around said pivot-pin and having its parts acting upon theguardpiece and draw-arm, so that their lower ends may occupy the slot inthe draw-yoke, and thus keep the draw-arm upon its pivot, a specified.

5. In a thill, shaft, or pole coupling, the combination of the axle A,the draw-yoke B, slotted at B, having draw-bolt b and connected to theaxle, the draw-arm C, slotted at C, so as to hang pivotally upon thedrawbolt, and having lips d d on each side of said slot, the guardpiece, and the interposed spring hung upon the guard-piece pivot forretaining the draw-arm in its pivoted position, substantially asdescribed.

6. The combination of the axle, the drawyoke B, slotted at B and havingbolt 1), the slotted draw-arm having parallel flanges E E, perforated ate e, the guard-piece H, having side lips h h, the pivot-pin F, pivotingthe guard-piece to the draw-arm, and the inter posed spring, allarranged as specified.

7. The combination of the axle A, the drawyoke B, slotted at B, havingrecess 1) and having draw-bolt b, the clip a, connecting the yoke to theaxle, the draw-arm C, secured to IIO the thill, shaft,0r pole andslotted at C, so In testimony whereof we affix our signaas to hangpivotally on the draw-bolt, and tures in presence of two witnesses.likewise having lips cl d adjacent to said slot,

EMMET WARREN DOOLITTLE. and parallel llps E E on the opposite side ofthe arm, the guard-piece H, having lips h h, JAMES DANA BURNS the pivotconnecting said lips with lips E E, Witnesses:

and the interposed spring, all arranged as F. D. BAKUs,

specified. G. E. METIER.

